Improvement in corn-planters



n. A. LEWIS. Seed-Planter.

Patented July 21, 1857.

8, PNOTO-LITHOGRAFN ER. WASHINGTON, n a

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 17,841, dated July 21,1857.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN A. LEWIS, of Glens Falls, in the county ofWarren and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Machinefor Planting Corn; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theannexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure lis a longitudinal vertical section of my improvement. or m, Fig.3,indicates the plane of section. Fig. 2 is a transverse verticalsection of the same. 1 g, Fig. 3, indicates the plane of section. Fig. 3is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

My invention consists in the peculiar means employed for distributingthe seed, and also for covering the same, as will be hereinafter fullyshown and described.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

Arepresen ts theframe of the machine, which is formed mainly of the barsa a, connected by cross-ties b b, and provided with legs 0. The ends ofthe barsa are fitted on the ends of the axle d ofa wheel, B.

To one of the bars a, and by the side of the wheel B, a hopper, O, isattached.

To the lower end or to the bottom of the hopper a conical band, 6, isattached, said band encompassing the axle d of the wheel B. The axle d(the portion of it within the band 0) has holes or recessesf made in it,and the inner end of the conical baud e is fitted or just passes withinan annular chamber, 9, which is placed around the axle d.

To the chamber 9 two tubes, h 71, are attached. These tubes are placedradially within the wheel B, and their ends project a short distancethrough the rim of the wheel, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2.

' To the end of each tube It a slide, i, is placed, and the sides areconnected by a rod,j, which passes transversely through the axle d. Therodj is of such a length that when one slide is open or free from theorifice of its spout the ori-tice of the other spout is covered by itsslide. The rod 9' has a small friction-roller, 7:, attached to each end,and a rod, 1, which passes through the axle d by the side of andparallel with the rod j, also has a friction-roller, m, at each end. Therod l is somewhat shorter than the rodj, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

To the cross-tie b which is nearest the wheel B, a bar, D,-is pivoted.This bar has a spring, a, bearing against its under side, and a curvedinclined plane, 0, is attached to the outer end of the bar-D.

To the ends of the axle d a frame, E, is attached. This frame is allowedto swing freely up and down, and a roller, F, is placed in the lower endof the frame, as shown plainly in Figs. 1 and 3.

Within the frame E a smaller frame, G, is placed, the frame Gbeingfitted on a cross-rod, p, in the frame E, the cross-rod passingtransversely through the center of the frame G. The frame G is allowedto work freely on the cross-rod 12, and a hoe, H, is attached to thelower end of frame G. The upper side pieces or rods of the frame Gproject a trifle beyond the edges of the rim of the wheel B, as shownclearly in Fig. 3, and the rim of the wheel B has two plates, 9,attached to it at opposite sides of the axle d, "said plates projectinga trifle beyond the edges of the rim at each side, as shown clearly inFig. 3.

The operation is as follows: As the machine is propelled along, the axled, by its rotation, conveys the corn, which passes into the holes orrecesses f in the axle, around into the band 6, the corn being placed inthe hopper U. The holes or recesses f are made sufliciently large tohold the necessary number of grains or kernels for a hill. The cornpasses into the tubes [L h, and as the ends of the tubes enter theground their respective slides will be raised by the curved incline 0,over which the rollers k on the rodj alternately pass. The rollers m onthe rod 1 form bearings for the curved-incline 0. Each slide 2' israised as the end of its tube enters the ground, so that the corn willbe properly deposited in the soil, and just before the hoe H reaches thehills or the places where the corn is deposited the hoe is depressed orsunk into the ground in consequence of the plates q striking against theend of the frame G, and the corn will be covered thereby, the hoe, asthe plates q pass the end of the frame G, being raised by springs 1,which are connected with said frame. The roller F presses the earth uponthe seed.

I do not claim distributing the corn or seed through hollow arms orthrough spouts placed radially in the driving-Wheel, so that the'corn orseed will be deposited in the soil from the periphery of thedriving-wheel, for this has been previously done; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new,and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Having the slides i placed over the ends or orifices of the comeying-tubes h, the slides being attached to the ends of the same rod, j,and operating said rod by means of the curved incline 0, attached to therod or bar D, and the pulley or roller attached to the rod j, the wholebeing arranged as shown, whereby the slides are actuated or opened andclosed alternately,

for the purpose set forth.

2. The hoe H, attached to the frame Gr,which is placed within theroller-frame F, arranged as shown, and operated by the projections g onthe driving-wheel B, for the purpose specified.

NORMAN A. LEWIS.

\Vitnesses:

' G. T. LEWIS,

WM. ROBINSON.

